Young at Heart
by Holstered .38
Summary: SG1 encounter a planet solely inhabited by children. It's up to them to find out where all the adults have gone, almost losing one of their own in the process...
1. Default Chapter

**Young at Heart**

The Stargate rotated noisily as each of the seven chevrons locked into place. SG1 stood ready at the base of the metal ramp that would take them to P3X-781 once the shimmering wormhole was established. With a blast of energy the gateway connected and the four travellers were on their way, Colonel Jack O'Neill in command.

They arrived at their destination with a jolt, almost as if the corridor had pushed them through. Dr Daniel Jackson, the team's archaeologist and language expert, came off worse landing heavily on his right side, a trickle of blood cascading down his right temple. Insisting that he could continue with the mission, the four of them moved onwards to investigate the local area and endeavour to establish the existence of life.

The general surroundings bore a lush and fertile environment. "It appears to be a relatively rural planet. Not much evidence of technology, sir" stated Major Samantha Carter.

"Mmmm," agreed Jack glancing around, a strange intenseness on the immediate vicinity, his hands poised on his weapon. Teal'c, the only non-human member of the team and former first prime of Apophis, also sensed that they were being observed.

Jack held up his hand and everyone came to a halt, each now aware that something was amiss. Again Jack used definitive hand signals to communicate to his team that the subtle movement in the shrubs to the left was someone hiding amongst them. Advancing cautiously, Jack and Teal'c moved around the vegetation in a pincer movement whilst Sam and Daniel made distracting comments.

"Hey Daniel, is this a type of poison ivy?"

"Atchoo…Y-yes, so don't touch it or you'll be coming out in bright red itchy sores! Atchoo!"

"Bless you," smirked Sam.

"Come on out," instructed Jack when he was in position.

Both he and Teal'c lowered their weapons when they saw the figure that had been hiding behind the bushes. It was a boy! The young lad could have only been about nine or ten years old, yet he exuded the air of someone much older.

"Greetings," announced the stranger suddenly. "Please forgive me for not showing myself sooner, but I needed to make sure…"

"Make sure of what?" queried Jack defensively.

"That you are not Luminopti."

"Luminopti? What is that, some sort of disease?" he asked, looking to Daniel for some evidence of comprehension.

"Lumin opti…glowing eyes, he means the Goa'uld! He wanted to make sure we were not Goa'uld!"

"You carry the beast within," the stranger's comments were directed at Teal'c. "Yet, I sense that there is no evil in your 'kantoth'."

"I think that must be like your aura or soul," chipped in Daniel.

Sam approached from behind Teal'c after maintaining a discrete distance.

"You, too, have experienced the Luminopti…"

Taken aback by the stranger's apparent knowledge of her past, it took a moment for Sam to respond. "Y-yes. I became a host for a short time, but it was a Tok'ra, not a Goa'uld symbiote."

"I do not understand, surely they are the same."

"Well actually, no. They are very different, a Goa'uld _takes_ a host whereas the Tok'ra…"

"Major!" snapped the colonel.

"Sorry, sir."

"So, who are you?" asked Jack.

"My name is Yasram. Come, I shall take you to my village. It is not far."

The team followed Yasram. After nearly ten minutes hiking Jack piped up "I thought you said it wasn't far! You know, this yellow brick road could almost take us all the way back to Kansas, Dorothy, and my knees are getting to the stage…"

"We are here. This is Rekhyt. Welcome." Yasram held his arm outstretched and swept it in an arc across the Scandinavian style wooden houses in the valley below.

"Wow!" exclaimed Sam as she took in the captivating view.

It was only moments later that the team realised that the entire village consisted of children. None of the inhabitants appeared to be above the age of twelve.

"Sir, these people…they are all…"

"Children!" finished Teal'c.

"Yasram, where are all the adults?" asked Daniel.

"There are none. I will explain further once you have rested. Come." Yasram lead the team towards a small, but beautifully constructed wooden cottage. "Here. You may rest here."

"Thanks," replied O'Neill as he removed his sunglasses and gazed around the property.

Without another word, Yasram nodded his goodbyes and wandered towards another of the wooden houses.

"C'mon mom - let's get the kids inside," smirked O'Neill to Carter.

The interior was as charming as the outside. Small furniture and decorations made the place seem like a miniature version of home on Earth. It was difficult to remember that children had made all of this.

That evening Yasram returned to invite SG1 to a feast.

"What is the feast in aid of?" queried Daniel.

"It is for Horus. We ask that he protect you whilst you are here with us."

"Protect us? Protect us from what or whom?" asked Jack intrigued.

"From the Dark Serpent - Typhon."

Jack turned to Daniel for his analysis of this latest information.

"Typhon was the God of the Night. A serpent god and enemy of Ra…Of course," Daniel slapped his forehead as he realised what had been staring him in the face. "Rekhyt means 'Lower Egypt' and it was given to Horus by Ra as compensation for the injury to his eye!"

Jack turned to face Carter, blinked and shrugged his shoulders, totally oblivious to the whole archaeological relevance. "If you ask me, I think Daniel must have landed harder on his head than he thought when we came through the Stargate!"

The feast was impressive, with a whole carcass of what resembled a deer gently rotating over an open fire. Fruits and vegetables abound platters, small roasted birds were served cold with hunks of bread, and the clear liquid being passed around tasted of peaches, but had a kick like a mule on the back of the throat!

In the middle of the festivities, one of the girls stood up and an intense silence fell over the entire group. She raised an untouched plate of food together with a goblet of 'wine' and offered them to the ornately carved statue of Horus, which stood prominent at the eastern end of the village. As the girl laid the offering at the falcon-headed monument's feet, she could be heard to say something in, what Daniel identified as a derivative of sanscript.

"What's she saying Daniel?" asked Jack in a hoarse whisper.

"She's reciting a passage from the 'Book of the Dead'."

"Book of the Dead!" repeated Jack in a voice that was louder than he had intended. "Book of the Dead - what do you mean? Is she bringing back some long lost ancestor with this voodoo mumbo-jumbo or has she got something in mind for us that I really don't want to know about?" his voice returning to an impatient whisper.

"No, no. The book of the dead has over 200 magic spells and incantations that are designed to help a dead person's soul on their journey through the underworld. I'm assuming that she has either lost someone recently, or, she is asking Horus for his protection of those still alive, and it's not voodoo mumbo-jumbo. Voodoo originated in the Caribbean…"

"Yeah? Well so long as it's not our souls she is helping to the underworld." Jack took another bite out of the pear-like fruit he was holding and scowled suspiciously at the proceedings.

Sam had to look away from her two bickering friends, fearful that the giggle she was suppressing might escape.

Daniel just ignored Jack's comments, now used to his friend's reluctance to embrace culture.

Next morning bore a cloudless sky and a fresh clean smell in the air.

"Ahh, Horus is pleased," began Yasram when he saw SG1 emerge from the cottage. "He has given you his blessing by making the day such a pleasant one."

"O-kay Yasram," Jack said sarcastically, his head a little tender after the previous nights merriment.

"We are honoured," Daniel offered trying to breeze over Jack's remarks. "Tell me Yasram, do you have any writings? Either hieroglyphics or parchments, scrolls maybe?"

"Of course. We have a small library of scrolls and there is some pictorial writing in a cavern nearby."

"Can we see them, please?"

"Certainly. Follow me," Yasram lead the group towards a slender opening in the mountainside where an obelisk with a carved Wedjat eye depicting Horus, stood guard outside.

Daniel was in his element. With a small video camera he filmed as much as he could. Inside the cave, the room was filled with cartouches and hieroglyphs telling the story of how Horus had removed his brother Seth from the Throne of Egypt, losing his left eye, the moon, in the struggle. It also showed how he had later gone on to 'merge' with Ra to become the God of the Sky.

"This is amazing! It can tell us so much about our own history in Ancient Egypt." Daniel said in awe.

Jack O'Neill on the other hand, didn't seem to share in Dr Jackson's excitement and began to stray from the inscribed room. Teal'c followed closely behind.

"Hey Teal'c, what do you say we have a bit of a wander around the rest of this place?"

"I am in agreement, O'Neill."

"I'll take that as a yes!" Jack motioned for the friendly Jaffa to follow him.

Back outside, the pair skirted around the busy village and concentrated their inquisitiveness on a series of buildings that had been constructed in the nearby woods. The crude camouflage was typical of a children's play den, hidden by broken sticks and wilting greenery. To an ordinary visitor it would probably have been adequate, but to the keen eyes of a colonel in the USAF and the tracking instincts of the former first prime of Apophis, it stood out like a sore thumb!

A feint jingling sound grew more pronounced as they approached. With weapons raised, both O'Neill and Teal'c entered the first hut. Inside were a number of birds of prey tethered to the perch upon which they sat, silent and still, occasionally moving merely to adjust their position. This movement alone was the cause of the ringing, making the bells strapped to the birds' anklets jangle.

"O'Neill, what is the purpose of these birds being imprisoned?"

"I think they are falconry birds, used for hunting."

"Would it not be easier to just shoot their prey?"

"I guess, but so far I haven't seen any evidence of weaponry at all, have you?"

Teal'c simply raised a single eyebrow, as had become habit and continued to investigate their surroundings.

Within seconds, the door to the hut opened and a young boy stood in the doorway, uncertain of what to do next. Jack and Teal'c had instinctively raised and armed their weapons. The boy, who looked only seven or eight years old, went pale and turned to run, clearly afraid for his life.

"It's okay, we won't hurt you," Jack called, ashamed by his actions.

The boy had only gone a few yards and was now hiding behind one of the large tree trunks. He peered out tentatively, obviously nervous and afraid of the two strangers he had happened upon.

"What's your name? I'm Jack and this is Teal'c." Teal'c bowed his greeting and lowered his staff weapon.

"I-I am Nirak."

"Hi there Nirak. Erm, do you look after these birds?"

"Yes. I care for our family's birds, it is part of my duties in our house. We use them to hunt. It has been our way for generations."

"O'Neill," began Teal'c. "Did your ancestors not use this method of hunting many years ago?"

"Yeah, but nowadays it is considered more of a sport."

"You kill animals for sport?" Teal'c's question caused Jack to look at him in a manner that meant 'let's stop this conversation before it gets out of hand'.

Returning his questions to Nirak, "what about the other huts out here, do they have birds in too?"

"Yes, but each belongs to a different family house in the village. I am only responsible for this one and the one to it's right. Now please forgive me, but I must attend to the birds."

"Sure," O'Neill waved and left Nirak to prepare the birds for flying.

Halfway back to the village they met up with Daniel and Sam.

"Where did you two disappear to? Do you realise the importance of the hieroglyphs recorded in Horus' cave? Although they are a different dialect…"

"Danny boy! Did you find out what happened to all the adults around here?"

"Yes. It appears that they are here."

Jack looked around him incase they were hiding in the shadows or something. When he saw nothing he asked "What do you mean, they have ascended or something?"

"No. These children are actually the adults!"

"O-kay…so where are the children if these are the adults? C'mon, none of these kids are more that about twelve years old."

"Physically, yes sir" interrupted Sam. "Genetics isn't my field, but…"

"Hold it Carter! Before this all gets too technical and I just end up having to smile at you like I understand everything you've said. We need to make sure that the Goa'uld don't find this planet, otherwise we shall have a load of mini snake-heads roaming the galaxy!"

Just as he spoke, the Stargate began to rotate…


	2. And now the conclusion

As each chevron locked into place the SG1 team took defensive cover. Too far away from the gate to see the address, the moment the first traveller set foot upon Rekhyt, it was obvious that the Goa'uld had arrived. First came the foot soldiers with their snake-head armour and staff weapons, then their commander for the mission, Zelmar, who replaced Teal'c as the first prime of Apophis.

"Oh crap!" exclaimed O'Neill as he readied his weapon for a confrontation. Stealthily, SG1 moved into a formation that, through training and experience, had proven to be most effective against their enemy.

As Apophis' men approached, Jack silently counted down, using sign language so as not to give away their position or the advantage of surprise before the battle commenced. Three…two…one…

O'Neill's and Carter's P90 sub-machine guns spat into life. Teal'c discharged his staff weapon and Daniel Jackson joined the fray with his standard issue 9mm Beretta. The foot soldiers began to drop, one-by-one, but not without a fight. The returning fire set trees and shrubs ablaze as the energy glanced off the rocks behind which SG1 sheltered. Suddenly, a blast from a Goa'uld staff weapon hit its target - Daniel lay motionless on the ground. Unable to reach their friend as the battle continued, the rest of the team fought on harder still until the last of the enemy had fallen.

Sam was the first to reach Daniel. He was badly wounded and had lost a lot of blood. "Sir, we need to get medical help or he'll die. I can only feel a feint pulse."

"Well we can't use the gate, it's not secure," O'Neill declared.

"We've got to get him to the village. At least there we can get help."

"What? From a bunch of kids?"

"Sir, we don't have any other option."

"OK. Teal'c, do you think you can carry him?"

"I can."

Fortunately, it wasn't far to the village as Teal'c carried his friend across his broad shoulders. As he gently lay Daniel down upon his bunk, Sam became visibly more concerned for their friend.

Yasram witnessed the team return to the village and he too was distressed to see Daniel in such a bad way. "What has happened to your friend?"

"He's been hit by a Goa'uld weapon. Do you have a doctor, any medical supplies?"

"No, we have never had any need for them."

Daniel's heart stopped beating and he ceased breathing. Sam unstrapped Daniel's combat waistcoat and ripped open his khaki shirt sending buttons ricocheting in all directions, before commencing with mouth to mouth and chest compressions.

"Sir, I need your help!"

Without a second thought O'Neill moved to take over the heart massage as Sam maintained Daniel's breathing. After approximately one minute of continuous CPR, Sam checked Daniel's pulse again. "It's feint, but he's alive!"

Jack was visibly relieved if not somewhat exhausted. Even Teal'c was seen to exhale with a subtle smile.

Yasram bolted for the door leaving the remaining occupants vaguely bewildered by his actions.

"You alright?" Jack asked Sam.

She nodded, but it was clear that she too needed some rest. A tender moment passed between them as they realised just how close they had both come to losing someone they care about.

Changing the subject to dispel the awkward silence, Jack announced "Teal'c, how about you and I head back out to the Stargate to make sure all those nasty snake-heads have gone. No offence…"

"None is taken."

After O'Neill and Teal'c had gone, Yasram returned with a small bowl of water. "Here," he offered. "Bathe his wounds with this and pour a little into a small cup to keep his lips moist. When he wakes, try and get him to drink a little."

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"Trust me, please. It will make him well again."

Sam complied with Yasram's instructions and decanted a small amount of liquid into a beaker. Using clean gauze, she soothed and dressed Daniel's wounds with the remainder. It was going to be a long night and none of the SG1 team were sure that their friend and colleague was going to survive until the morning.

Jack and Teal'c returned to the place of the earlier battle only to find that all the dead Goa'uld had gone. "That's a little weird," remarked Jack.

"I suspect that their bodies have been vaporised," explained Teal'c in a very matter-of-fact tone.

The Stargate area, too, had suffered little more than a few bullet holes and scorch marks, the only evidence to there ever being any kind of skirmish. O'Neill dialled home and sent a radio transmission direct to General George Hammond back in Cheyenne Mountain, the top secret base that is home to Stargate command, also known as the SGC. His report outlined their circumstances, Daniel's condition and a request for SG4 together with a medical team to be dispatched as soon as was physically possible.

SG4 and the medical team, lead by Dr Janet Frasier, arrived through the Stargate less than an hour after Colonel O'Neill had sent his message. It proved to be a sombre reunion. SG4's orders were to secure the Stargate and prevent Apophis from making any return visits. Jack and Teal'c lead the way back to the village, fearful that the help that they had brought with them would be too late.

At the cottage, Dr Frasier took over from Sam. Daniel's condition had stabilised, but in her opinion, he was not in any condition to be moved. She would have to do the best she could where they were. It was not the news the team wanted to hear.

Assuming the liquid in the beaker to be plain water, Dr Frasier carefully moistened Daniel's lips where they had become dry and him dehydrated. Janet also removed Daniel's bandages so that she could examine his wounds. Sam was shocked by what she saw. "That's not possible! When I dressed his wounds, they were…well, they were far more serious than they are now!" she exclaimed.

"I don't understand, are you saying that these injuries have somehow healed themselves in the past hour or so?"

"I can't explain it, but yes! All I did was bathe his wounds in the water that Yasram had brought me, and dress them in standard field bandages, and I'm telling you that his injuries were far worse than they are now."

Jack nodded confirmation of what Sam had said.

"Indeed," acknowledged Teal'c.

"Well, I don't know what they put in the water around here, but it's doing far more good than anything I could offer him."

"Of course, the water! Sir, perhaps this is why there is no evidence of adults here in the village. If this water has the regenerative powers that it appears to, perhaps as the villagers drink it, wash in it etc, it continues to regenerate their bodies keeping them looking young - like children!"

"A kind of Fountain of Youth?"

"Yes! That's it exactly. Do you realise the possibilities of this liquid? It could cure untreatable diseases, heal life threatening injuries…"

"Do wonders for the anti-aging corporations…"

"Yes. Can you imagine never having to grow old?"

"Doc, take a sample of that stuff and get it analysed when we get back home."

Dr Frasier dutifully poured a small sample into a sterile specimen bottle and packed it carefully away in her medical kit. Her first duty, however, was to her patient.

Throughout the night SG1 kept a vigil at Daniel's bedside. Teal'c sat cross legged on his bunk in an attempt to practice his 'Kel-nor-reem', but either the conditions were not right, or he could not concentrate, for he was unable to maintain his meditation for very long; Sam sat at the table, her head resting on her folded arms. Exhaustion carrying her into a fitful sleep. Jack, on the other hand, could not settle. He paced up and down the room occasionally stopping to check on his friend's progress.

The water was doing its job. The wounds were definitely healing, slowly at first but with increasing rapidity. Daniel's overall condition was improving too. His blood pressure had stabilised, his breathing had become more regular and his pulse was almost normal.

Suddenly, Daniel's fingers flinched. Jack and Janet both witnessed it. "Don't get too excited," she warned. "It could just be a reflex action following the trauma he's received."

But it didn't stop there. Next, Daniel's eyes fluttered as he blinked away the darkness that had engulfed him for the duration of his unconsciousness.

"Hey, Danny boy - it's good to have you back!" Jack greeted cheerfully.

Jack's fuzzy image sharpened as Daniel's eyes adjusted to the light and began to focus properly. By the time Teal'c and Sam had joined Jack at his bedside, Daniel was trying to sit up. Dr Frasier held him back, insisting that he rest for a while longer.

"Wh-what happened? Last thing I remember…we were fighting the Goa'uld," panic increasing in Daniel's voice.

"Yeah, and we almost lost you," Jack spoke softly and reassuringly. "It's OK now, the Goa'uld are gone and you are going to be just fine."

"Yasram brought us some water. We think its what saved your life. It has amazing healing powers and, we believe, some sort of regenerative properties. That's why there are no adults around here, the water is what makes them appear so young."

Daniel blinked again, trying to take in all this information. His wounds were healing, but his mind remained foggy with the pain. Dr Frasier offered Daniel the cup of water to drink from. He took a couple of sips and lay back down to rest. She also gave him 5cc of sedative to help him sleep.

"You get some rest now - doctor's orders!" she smiled. Daniel grinned back, closed his eyes and slept soundly until morning. The rest of the team were now able to get some much needed rest too, sound in the knowledge that their friend was going to be alright.

Dawn heralded a beautiful colourwash of oranges and pinks leading into a crisp clear blue sky. It was time for SG1 and their colleagues to leave. Before going, Nirak came up to the group and gave Jack one of the moulted feathers from his best hunting falcon. "I heard that you stopped the Luminopti from entering our world, we are very grateful. This is so you remember us."

"Thank you, but we won't forget."

"You are leaving now?" asked Yasram seeing the four travellers packed up and ready to go.

"Yes. I think I owe you a great debt," Daniel began. "You saved my life."

"It is a gift from Horus," Yasram bowed slightly and smiled.

"Then I thank him too," Daniel bowed reverently too.

"OK, kids…erm, team, time to move out," instructed Jack.

Daniel's right arm was in a sling, but the wounds had almost completely healed. Only the faintest of scars remained to even say that he had been injured at all. With his left hand, he dialled the address to return to Earth. As the wormhole established and cascaded back into a rippling pool of energy, Daniel once again turned to thank Yasram. "Perhaps, we might return one day and examine further the writings in the cave?"

"I hope so. You will always be welcome here in Rekhyt."

"Thank you," Daniel placed his good hand on Yasram's shoulder before turning to leave with the rest of his team.

A few days later, SG1, Dr Frasier and General Hammond sat around the large oval table in the briefing room to discuss their latest mission. Dr Frasier had received the results back from the liquid that they had brought back from P3X-781.

"I have run every test imaginable on that liquid and each time the result comes back the same…it's water. Normal H2O!"

"How can that be?" asked Sam in disbelief.

"I have no idea," she replied shaking her head.

Daniel, on the other hand, just smiled.

**THE END**

**28th March 2005.**


End file.
